UCLA wide receiver Demetric Felton (10) straight arms Hawaii defensive back Mykal Tolliver (24) to get away during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Pasadena, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017. UCLA won 56-23. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

LOS ANGELES — Demetric Felton watched what De’Anthony Thomas did at Oregon. When the UCLA receiver learned that he would be playing for the coach whose offense produced one of the most electrifying players in college football, Felton was “super excited.”

The diminutive receiver may be tailor-made for Kelly’s blur offense that stresses defenses by spreading the field and putting the ball in his playmakers’ hands with room to work.

“I think I’m very good at moving the ball in space,” Felton said Saturday at Wasserman Football Center after practice, “and so as he pushes me and gives me chances to move the ball in space, I can do that.”

The former four-star receiver was used only sparingly last year. As a redshirt freshman, he lined up in the backfield occasionally, using his speed to rush for 75 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries, but caught only two catches for minus-2 yards.

At 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, Felton was too slight to line up at running back regularly, former head coach Jim Mora said, but the Great Oak High alumnus has been a regular contributor in practice under Kelly, motioning through the backfield on jet sweeps and screen passes.

Thomas, who was listed at 5-foot-9 and 173 pounds at Oregon, was an eye-popping highlight waiting to happen. He played all over the field, a hybrid of receiver and running back while also returning kicks and punts.

Felton has been working at the slot receiver position where the Bruins are looking for a replacement for Darren Andrews. Andrews caught a team-high 10 touchdowns on 60 receptions for 774 yards in nine games last year before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

“I’m just adjusting to the new offense and the new coaches and Coach Kelly’s way of doing things,” Felton said. “It’s been going well.”

NCAA changes kickoff rule

An NCAA rules panel approved a rule aimed at decreasing kickoff returns Friday, turning fair catches inside the 25-yard line on a kickoff into touchbacks starting next season. The rule was proposed by the football rules committee to increase the number of touchbacks during kickoffs, the NCAA said in a release, limiting potential injuries on returns, which are known as some of the most dangerous plays in the game.

Before the 2012 season, the NCAA also moved kickoffs from the 30-yard line to the 35 to increase the number of touchbacks while giving the receiving team the ball at the 25-yard line instead of the 20.

Kickers were often instructed to direct the ball high and toward the sideline, hoping to pin opponents inside the 25-yard line.

J.J. Molson, who handles kickoffs and placekicking for the Bruins, said he hasn’t given much thought to the rule change.

“I have to kick the ball, deep right or deep left, whatever they call and try to do the best I can when I’m out there,” the junior said. “The only thing I can worry about is me and the ball and everything else, if they decide to fair catch, good for them, but my job is to kick that ball.”

Molson had 34 touchbacks on 84 kickoffs last year. Although Molson’s kickoff average of 62.7 yards was tied for fourth in the Pac-12, the Bruins were 10th in the conference in kickoff coverage as opponents averaged 24.4 yards per return. UCLA opponents began drives after kickoffs on their own 26-yard line.

Guest list

Former UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel addressed the team at practice Saturday. Neuheisel’s son Jerry, a former UCLA quarterback, is in his first year as a graduate assistant under Kelly. … Former Michigan quarterback Wilton Speight, who verbally committed to UCLA as a graduate transfer on Thursday, attended practice, watching from the sidelines and speaking with Kelly.

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Thuc Nhi Nguyen has covered UCLA for the Southern California News Group since 2016. A proud Seattle native, she majored in journalism and mathematics at the University of Washington. She likes graphs, animated GIFs and superheroes.